ROMAN CATHOLICISM IN WOLVERHAMPTON
1828 - 1865

The Growth of the Catholic
Community in Wolverhampton (part 9)

The Catholic Friendly Society

Some progress in the provision of popular education had been made by
the Catholics of Wolverhampton, though it had been achieved on a very
limited budget. Throughout the period the Catholic Friendly Society in
the town continued to flourish. It had been founded in 1803, and in
1861, when it was able to move its venue from a public house to the
newly opened St Mary's Hall, the fees were reduced from 1/3d to 1/- per
fortnight. [WC 17th
July 1861] The Mayor, Mr C. Clarke, attended the anniversary celebrations
on 17 July that year and was made an honorary Member. By 1863, the 110
members were contributing £245-17-11 1/2d, of which all but
£38-12-11-1/2d was given out in the form of benefits. Figures for 1864
showed that 2 people had been receiving assistance for 30 years, 2
people for 25 years, and 3 people for 20 years. A death grant of £19 was
paid for each member, while £55-10-0d was paid in the event of the death
of a member's wife, [WC 13th July 1864] and smaller weekly
sums were paid to sick members. At the sixty-third anniversary, Mr
Pearson described the Society as being strong, "standing as it were like
an oak in the forest, whilst other societies of a kindred character had
been dropping around it". [WC 11th July 1866].

The Wolverhampton Catholic Friendly Society had a small and rather
exclusive membership - still only 110 by 1867 [WC 17th July
1867]- and it did not regard itself as a comprehensive organization for
the benefit of the town's Catholic community as a whole. The main reason
for this lack of growth was that the Society did not attempt to recruit
Irish immigrants, fearing that such members, with their low incomes and
greater susceptibility to disease and infection, would claim more in
benefits than they would contribute. Thus, although the Irish made a
considerable impact on Catholicism in the town, the
Wolverhampton.Catholic Friendly Society was one institution that
remained untouched by their presence.

The period 1828-67 saw a dramatic increase in the size of the Catholic
population in Wolverhampton, rising from approximately 600 to around
11,000 by the latter date. [WC 6th Mar 1867; a figure quoted
by Rev George Duckett at a RC reunion on 4th March 1867]
These figures would suggest that at the time of the opening of SS Peter
& Paul's chapel only 3 per cent of these living in Wolverhampton were
Catholics, while four decades later almost 17 per cent of Wulfrunians
professed the faith. Such a rapid transformation was not achieved
without manifestations of opposition on the part of some non-Catholics,
and these will be considered in the following chapter.